How to use Essential Oils... Let me count the ways!

How to use those oils....

The moment is here. You open your mailbox and there it is.... Your first order of essential oils! Yipee! You open the bottle and breathe in the aroma - mmmmm. Then you think, "what exactly do I do with this stuff?" Good question. There are several ways you can use essential oils, and you just did one of the most basic without even thinking!

Aromatic use:

Just smelling oils from the bottle can be very therapeutic. There are multiple studies that confirm the health benefits of inhalation of essential oils. Here is one, and another, and another. You can search on Pubmed for more.

You can diffuse (put them into the air so you can inhale/smell them) oils in several ways. You can use passive forms of diffusing such as putting a few drops of oil on a cotton ball and keeping it in a jar or other container so you can open and smell at will. You can place a few drops on a pendant such as these, or on a stuffed animal or a hankie. 

You can also actively diffuse in a cool mist diffuser such as these.
You don't need to stand over the diffuser breathing in the mist (but that is nice at times too). However, the diffuser should be located within the same room as you and as close as possible. For example, on your desk when you're working, in the kitchen when you're cooking. I keep one in the kitchen, the hub of my home. I also keep one by my bed to get the beneficial effects while I sleep. It soon becomes understandable why you might want more than one diffuser :)

I love the aromatic use of essential oils for fighting germs, congestion, cough, moods and more. Even when there is "nothing" to be treated, I like to have the diffuser running with a season smell, or mood ,or focus enhancing oils.

Topical use:

Another way is to use oils topically. This means you apply them to your skin. Your skin is your largest organ and oils that are rubbed into the skin will be absorbed by the body. You will need to use some care in which oils can be used "neat", which means as they are, out of the bottle, without diluting them. Some oils are "hot", and should be diluted with a carrier oil (such as coconut oil, almond oil, grapeseed oil, olive oil, hemp seed oil) or they can irritate the skin. *** Essential Oils should never be put into the ear or eye.

To use topically you take a drop or 2 or 3 and rub topically over the area of concern. Often times a carrier oil or salve comes in handy to help the oil cover a larger area. As I have said in other posts, EO use is very intuitive. Trust your body and what it is telling you.

If you have a headache, place the oil over the spot on your head that hurts. If you have a tummy ache, use it over the part of your tummy that hurts. Arthritis, place it on the joints. Back pain - it goes on your back (usually with a carrier oil to spread further). Wherever you put the oil, make sure to take a few minutes to massage it in. This gets the blood to the area to absorb and transport the oils - plus it feels good! Get the idea?

There are a few other good locations for general use. The bottoms of the feet have large pores and can absorb things quickly. This makes it a good spot to put oils you are taking for general systemic relief. For example, Jeddy's for ADHD/anxiety/Focus is great on the bottoms of the feet. Cold and Flu bomb is good on the bottom of your feet as your whole body is fighting the virus/bacteria. Dream sleep blend when you are trying to fall asleep works well here. My kids prefer to use this location for daily Jeddy's, cold and flu bomb, or other use. They can put their socks on and no one at school can smell they have oils on.

The base of your skull, your brain stem (where your neck meets your hairline in the back) is also a good place for getting things into your head - literally. I put my headache blend here as well as my LXR for anxiety and my Jeddy's for focus.

Finally the navel is a good place to get oils through the body, into your core. You have a high concentration of blood vessels here and they can move oils quickly. When I eat something my body doesn't like or I'm having a general allergic reaction to say, my dog. I put the LLP for allergies in my navel. Get it?

Rollers work great for this type of use.

I like topical use for just about any ailment. I find it can be very focused relief.

Dietary (internal) use:

There is controversy and caution about this one. First, let me say that you should only do what you are comfortable with and what suits you. To each his own. I will say that I do, regularly, take Spark Naturals essential oils internally. I do not recommend taking just any essential oil internally. You need to trust that any EO you take internally is pure. However, I feel the same way about topical and aromatic use. All of your oils need to be of the highest quality,  they end up internal eventually as well!.

There are a few ways to take oils internally.  You can put a few drops in a "shot" of water or juice. One of my favorites is a drop of peppermint in a shot of water or almond milk to kick heartburn. Works like a charm - immediately! You can put oils in a gel capsule. I take a capsule of 6 drops LLP daily. I also use cold and flu bomb in a capsule to fight sickness.  There are some great ways to use them in cooking. A drop of wild orange in brownies is to die for and a drop of cilantro in your salsa is mmmmm. Spark Naturals FB page regularly posts recipes for cooking with essential oils. I've also made this great recipe for cough/immunity drops, and will drink Shield tea when I'm avoiding the sickness that is going around that week.

How do you know what oils are safe in what ways?

Spark Naturals labels all of their bottles as to which type of use is appropriate for that oil. It will say "aromatic, topical, or dietary use" on the bottle so there is no confusion as to what is safe.

I hope this helps those who are just starting with oils, or still have questions. Please feel free to ask questions in the comments too! 

Here's to your health!

Wendy

Bacteria, Viruses, Germs, OH MY!....

Bacteria, Viruses, Germs, OH MY!....

So essential oils have been in the news lately. Not all positive stuff. Basically it seems the FDA doesn't like it when people who represent essential oil companies state that essential oils can cure dangerous infections (article here). I get it. We can't go around saying something does something that it doesn't do. That would be lying. Bad. Very bad. Back to the days of traveling snake oil salesmen who sold fake medicine for grand profit. 

However, what if that isn't the case.... What if there is research that shows some essential oils do have antibacterial, antiviral, antifungal, germ killing, properties? What if they do work.... BETTER than some prescriptions? What if the FDA is more worried about liability, or other interests? Or what if the mega profitable pharmaceutical companies just don't want them approved? It seems to be a rather sticky topic.  I encourage you to do your own research on the subject. I've linked several articles, but they are just a few of many. I wanted you to know that research on essential oils, and their effectiveness, is out there. I'm not saying all prescriptions are bad, some are necessary, sometimes. You should always consult a medical professional on your conditions. Here is to hoping they will work with you on some natural solutions. Some will. I've run into several medical professionals that were open minded. 

On this blog I share my experiences, my successes in using an alternative method of treating my ailments and preserving my health. What I do may, or may not, be the same for you. Our bodies are unique (fearfully and wonderfully made) and each person will metabolize and use oils slightly differently. That is part of the process of taking charge of your own health. Many of the essential oil blends I currently use came out of trying someone else's recipe and tweaking it. You are welcome to use the things I share as a starting point for your own research and self-trials. I am my #1 guinea pig. 

Shield Protective Blend is on special this week at Spark Naturals. This is one of the oils I diffuse regularly to keep the house healthy. It has helped to fight off strep, sinus infections, and colds in our home already this fall. I also use it in the cold and flu bomb(kit available here).   The recipe is in the description. This kit will get you though 1-2 bouts of sickness. If you have a large family that passes germs around just get the 15ml bottles of each. The combination of  Clove, Cinnamon Bark, Lemon, Eucalyptus, and Rosemary in Shield blend are very antibacterial/antiviral (according to the articles linked above). You can get an extra 10% off with coupon code BENDERBOYMOM.

I wish you well on your journey of discovering your own ways to maintain health. If you ever have any questions, please don't hesitate to email or message me. I will do my very best to help research with you. 

--Wendy